Holly Allen
Holly is the in-house casting director for Film House, a large and active production company in Nashville. She auditions and casts hundreds of actors every year for projects produced by the creative teams at Film House. Ms. Allen received a BA in Theatre Arts from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California and her Master’s degree in Acting from the University of Idaho. She has taught at the university level as well as community colleges and independent acting schools for over a decade. Many of the actors in Nashville who become eligible for the Screen Actors Guild, do so through working with Film House. She continues to look for and cast new talent in military commercials for the American Forces Radio and Television Services. Ms. Allen is also a professional performer and acts in many local plays, films, commercials, industrials, and voiceovers.
René Copeland
As Tennessee Rep’s producing artistic director, Ms. Copeland most recently directed the company’s The 39 Steps, Yankee Tavern, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Previous productions under her direction include such favorites as Big River, Proof, A Christmas Story, Steel Magnolias, Noises Off, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Sweeney Todd. Prior to joining the staff of Tennessee Rep, Ms. Copeland served ten years as co-producing director of Mockingbird Theatre where she directed a majority of their productions including Of Mice and Men, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Glass Menagerie, Hamlet, and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. She has also directed for Nashville Children’s Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, and Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre. In addition to directing, during her tenure so far Tennessee Rep has established an active professional internship program, introduced the REPaloud play reading series, and launched the Ingram New Works Festival, Lab and Fellowship. She has taught theatre at the professional, collegiate, and high school levels, including Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, and has served as artistic consultant to the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival. She was named Nashville Scene’s Best Stage Director of 2007 and in 2011 was listed with her husband, Scot, as one of the “Top 100 Reasons to Love Nashville” by Nashville Lifestyles magazine. She holds an MFA in acting and directing from University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a BFA from the University of Montevallo (Ala.).
Nate Eppler
Nate Eppler is a playwright and teaching artist based in the southeastern United States. His plays include Keeping Up With the Joneses, The Shorty Hawkins Play, Modern Love and Long Way Down.
Keeping Up With the Joneses, originally produced at the University of Memphis, was an official selection of the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival and was named runner-up for the American College Theater Festival National Student Playwriting Award. Nate was further awarded for his work on Keeping Up With the Joneses with the Larry Riley Rising Star Award, the Chattanooga Theatre Centre New Play Award and was named to the Top Ten Artists in Memphis by Memphis Magazine and best new artist by The Commercial Appeal. The University of Memphis production was listed in the twenty events that defined Memphis Theatre as part of their decade-end review.
From 2002–04 Nate served as Playwright-in-Residence for Breezeway Theatre Company where he developed The Shorty Hawkins Play and Modern Love, which was subsequently adapted into a screenplay and produced for ArchAngel Media. Nate has participated in the Charter Theatre Company First Draft Project, the Bloomington Playwright’s Project and the Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive. In 2005, Nate was commissioned by the Kennedy Center and the White House Historical Association to develop the play The Amazing (Unbelievable) and (Almost) True Story of Eisenhower’s (Golfing) Squirrels for young audiences.
Nate is a proud recipient of both the Tennessee Arts Commission Professional Development Support Grant and the Tennessee Individual Artist Fellowship. Nate currently serves as Playwright-in-Residence for the Tennessee Repertory Theatre.
Denice Hicks
Denice is the Artistic Director of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, a position she held from 1998–2002 and since 2005. Educated at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa, she moved to Nashville in 1980 to perform at Opryland. Ms. Hicks was an original company member of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and was among the founders of both the Darkhorse Theater and of People’s Branch Theatre. An Ingram Fellowship award winner, her work has been praised by the Tennessean, Nashville City Search, and The City Paper, among other publications, from which she has received “Best Actor” and “Best Director” acknowledgments. A teaching artist and advocate for Arts in Education, she has edited and directed touring productions of Shakespeare’s works, developed and facilitated workshops for students of all ages, and designed and implemented the Apprentice Company Training Program for Nashville Shakes. Ms. Hicks also does film, video, and voiceover work.
Gary C. Hoff
Gary is Head of Design at Tennessee Repertory Theatre. Mr. Hoff has designed all Tennessee Rep productions since 1999. He was honored with a First Night award in 2011 and was included as one of the 6 “Virtuoso Designers” spotlighted in American Theatre Magazine, a national magazine for theatre in America, in October 2005. Mr. Hoff’s work has also been seen in Dollywood, at Nashville Children’s Theatre, and for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival productions of A Winter’s Tale and Macbeth. He is also a recipient of the Ingram Individual Artist Fellowship in design and holds a master’s degree from Purdue University.
Nettie Kraft
Nettie Kraft graduated with an MFA from Roosevelt University's CCPA in Chicago where she interned at Steppenwolf with Tracy Letts, Amy Morton, and many other amazing artists on a production of Betrayal, by Harold Pinter. Prior to that, while attaining her BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder, she worked with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and began a theatre company which produced six plays in two years and was counted a critical success. She has studied abroad in England, and lived all over the United States, all in preparation for her move to Nashville. While in the great state of Tennessee she has been in several commercials and seen on stage for the Tennessee Women's Theatre Project, Actor's Bridge Ensemble, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, and Tennessee Rep's production of Volpone. Currently she is teaching at Belmont University, MTSU, TSU, and Watkins College as well as starting another theatre company, The Five Dollar Recession Theatre Company, with her friend and coworker Dr. James Al-Shamma.
Nat McIntyre
Nat has been a New York based actor, director, and piece creator since graduating with an MFA from the Old Globe in 2008. In New York he has been in Othello (Epic Theatre Ensemble), Doll’s House (Infinite Theatre) and Jester’s Dead (The PIT). He is also the co-artistic director of The Outfit (www.theoutfit.org). Regionally he has been seen in Othello (Shakespeare on The Sound); Merry Wives Of Winsor & Measure for Measure directed by Paul Mullins, All’s Well That Ends Well & Hamlet directed by Darko Tresnjak (The Old Globe) The Rivals directed by Nicholas Martin (The Huntington Theatre); Living Room In Africa directed by Daniel Goldstein (Gloucester Stage); Rapist James by Christopher Denham (Next Stages); Take Me Out, “J” an improvised tragic-comedy, & Homebody Kabul (Boston TheatreWorks); Epic Proportions (The Lyric Stage of Boston); The Violet Hour & Dracula (Stoneham Theatre); The Merchant of Venice, Troilus and Cressida, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, & Winter’s Tale (The Boston Publick); Romeo and Juliet & Macbeth (Worcester Foothills); Cuckooland & A New War (W.H.A.T.); Shear Madness (Charles Playhouse); His original works include The Jewish Independent & Jester’s Dead and has been produced by The Old Globe, The Philly Fringe, Studio Tisch, and The PIT; TV and Film works include roles on Law & Order: CI and The Good Wife. In Nashville he was the co-creator of The Nashville 9 and also shot Half Notes. He has been teaching and coaching since 1999.
Ginger Newman
Ginger is an Adjunct Vocal Professor at Cumberland University and was formerly at Belmont University as an adjunct working with the Musical Theatre Majors (As well as the Stage Director for their production of Seussical!) For the past seven years she has been the Musical Director/Conductor for the University School of Nashville’s Middle School and High School productions of their fall musicals at Ingram Hall (to sold out audiences.) She works extensively with TPAC-ED as a Teaching Artist and was the Education Director for Green Room Projects which worked with at-risk youth creating programs to empower them using the arts. She has designed/directed camps for many different age groups featuring varying degrees of artistic emphases.
Ginger began her training as a Vocal Performance Major at Belmont College where she won NATS competitions and, post school, competed in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions where she won the Regionals and got to the finals at the Mid-South Level.
Ginger has been a professional artist for over thirty five years: In that time she has toured all fifty states and been around the world in theatres, concert halls, convention centers and cruise ships (such as the QEII) performing her One Woman Show. She has had leading roles in many shows at Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville Opera, OPRYLAND and as a Guest Artist with the Nashville Symphony. She has been the Featured Entertainer for TPAC’S Gala Fest de Ville in Jackson Hall on numerous occasions.
She starred, to critical acclaim, in the Tennessee premiere of Souvenir-A Fantasia Based on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins which won her a “Best Musical Performance-2008” award by the Nashville Scene. Most recently Ginger has become the Resident Musical Director for the Keeton Theatre where she has directed/conducted many musicals (White Christmas, A Chorus Line, All Shook Up to name a few) and was voted “Best Musical Direction” for Swing! at the Keeton Theatre by Nashville Scene 2010.
Eric D. Pasto-Crosby
Mr. Pasto-Crosby is proud to be a part of Tennessee Repertory Theatre this season. A native of Nashville, he graduated from University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.F.A. in performance studies. Most Recent Fight credits include: Romeo and Juliet and Love's Labor's Lost for Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Jason and the Golden Fleece and The Shakespeare Stealer for Nashville Children’s Theatre, Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer Nights Dream for Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, Moonlight and Magnolias for Tennessee Repertory Theatre, True West, The Mystery of Irma Vep and Mother Courage for People’s Branch Theatre, and was fight captain for Treasure Island for Stage One: The Louisville Children’s Theatre, and Othello and A Wiinter's Tale for The Colorado Shakespeare Festival. A loyal member of the Society of American Fight Directors, and Actors Equity Association, he has choreographed violence for many films, theatres, and schools in the Nashville area. Certified in stage combat for Knife, Broadsword & Shield, Smallsword, Unarmed, Rapier & Dagger, and Broadsword, he has taken classes and worked with many great fighters affiliated with the SAFD including instruction by SAFD Fight Masters: Chuck Coyl, Richard Ryan, David Boushey, K. Jenny Jones, Allen Suddeth, David Wholley, and Richard Raether and SAFD Certified Teachers and Fight Directors: Geoffrey Kent, Adam McLean, Scot Mann, Drew Fracher, Payson Burt, and Martin Noyes. Later this year, you can see his choreography for Superior Donuts at Tennessee Repertory Theatre and for productions at Nashville Opera.
Lauren Shouse
Lauren is the Artistic Associate at Tennessee Rep. After receiving a master’s degree in performance studies from the University of N.C.-Chapel Hill, Ms. Shouse spent a year in London. There she worked as production executive for The Night of 1000 Voices in the Royal Albert Hall starring John Kander and Joel Grey. Locally, she directed Religion and Rubber Ducks for Ovvio Arte (Best new play in Nashville Scene 2008), Parallel Lives, Chess in Concert and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Best musical Nashville Scene 2010) for Street Theatre Company, Rear Widow (Best new play Broadwayworld.com 2010) for Chaffin’s Barn Theatre, Long Way Down for 3Ps Productions and A Christmas Story for Tennessee Rep. She will direct A Christmas Story and Superior Donuts in the 2011–2012 season.
David Wilkerson
David is celebrating his 10th year in the Nashville area, where he has worked professionally as an actor, stage manager, and fight choreographer. He is entering his fifth season of stage managing shows at Tennessee Rep. He has also managed the stages of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Mockingbird Theatre, and the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival. In addition to acting for Tennessee Rep, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, and People’s Branch Theatre, he has choreographed fights and/or taught combat workshops for Tennessee Rep, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Opera, People’s Branch Theatre, Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, Vanderbilt University, and many other educational institutions and professional theatres. This fall he will be the Fred Coe Artist in Residence at Vanderbilt University Theatre focusing on Stage Combat.
Martha Wilkinson
Ms. Wilkinson has been involved in professional theatre for 25 years. She has performed in theatres both locally and regionally. Tennessee Rep shows include: The 39 Steps, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Dearly Departed, Noises Off!, Idols of the King, A Streetcar Named Desire, Crimes of the Heart, Dinner with Friends for which she received a “Tennie” award from the Tennessean, The Underpants and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd for which she received the 2009 Toast of Music City Best Actor Award. In addition to performing, Ms. Wilkinson has been the Artistic Director/Publicity Coordinator for Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre for 10 years. She received her training from the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Berry College and North Carolina School of the Arts. Ms Wilkinson is a director as well having directed many shows over the past 15 years.
